Sunday Optimist Racing

Last Sunday was warm and overcast with a moderate north easterly, providing excellent conditions in Balmoral for three more races on the MHYC Centreboard Club Championship.  While the 29er fleet were competing in the NSW Championships at Lake Macquarie, thirteen Optimists were racing at home.

Division 3 race wins went to Sara Bruce, Miles Greenwood & Will Wilkinson and Miles is now leading the Series Pointscore.  Will Rogers posted two race wins in Green Fleet.

Many thanks to all the parent volunteers who assisted with race management and safety.

The Centreboard Club Championship resumes on 28 February after the holiday and regatta season.

To view the latest Centreboard Results – click here 

Read more: Sunday Optimist Racing

Thursday Twilights - a Safety Reminder

We are well into the festive season and people are bursting to have fun, especially in our club's famed Thursday Twilight Racing!

Following a couple of "interesting" races with incidents and near incidents recently I would like to remind ALL Skippers and Crew of a couple of things to be aware of during these fun evenings:

Please remember:

• These evenings are for FUN - we are not competing for sheep stations here!
• The starting area is quite congested, both at the Start and the Finish
• Many of the crews, (and skippers) are not necessarily at championship racing skills levels and they may not be able to react instantaneously to developing situations,
• The Racing Rules of Sailing apply, and NOR 16.6 and 16.7 in the Sailing Handbook on page 32 applies.
• NOR 16.6 - The Pumphouse Pre-Start area is defined as the area between the start line and the extension of the A-Arm outer walkway (southern marina arm).
• NOR 16.7 - When the Pumphouse Start Line is in operation, no boat shall enter the Pre-Start Area before her Preparatory Signal unless transiting the area under motor.
• Drink driving laws apply, on the water as well as in your car... (Would you drive down Military Road with a beer in your hand, having just consumed a couple at the bar??)
• SAFETY of crews and boats is paramount on these evenings.

So,  the request from the club is….

Be SAFE at all times - put your perceived "rights" aside in favour of caution

DO NOT

• "drink & drive"
• Put your sails up in the Start Area, which is the zone between the Pumphouse start line and D arm 

DO 

• Abide by the Racing Rules of Sailing
• Stay out of the Pre-Start Area until you are actually starting
• Avoid the following behaviours:
  • Pushing people up,
  • Barging into "no go" areas,
  • Performing risky port / starboard crossings
• Reduce the testosterone levels and put aggressive sailing tactics aside in favour of enjoyment and safety of your crew and the boats around you
• Give people room to manoeuvre
• Provide mark room
• Give room at continuing obstructions
• Stay away from the MHYC jetties - they are expensive AND much harder than your boat and crew!
• After you finish, proceed beyond D arm before dropping your sails and
• Be mindful of other finishing boats when returning to the dock (the dockside celebrations can wait for a few minutes!!)

MHYC treasures the fantastic opportunity to sail in daylight saving twilights - let's keep on making it enjoyable and safe for EVERYONE.

Kind regards,

Geoff Charters

Vice Commodore - Racing

Read more: Thursday Twilights - a Safety Reminder

Sydney Harbour Women’s Keelboat Series

It was a perfect day for Race 2 of the Sydney Harbour Women’s Keelboat Series today.  A 10-12 knot north-easterly, sunny skies and a nice warm day made for some very enjoyable sailing and good competition.

Race Officer Kathy Johnston from Middle Harbour Yacht Club selected Course 1 with the fleet working upwind and running down between Chowder Bay and Cannae Point on a busy Harbour.

First in Division 1 today was the Adams 10 No Friends (Tracy Richardson – MHYC) ahead of Sirius (Rhoslyn Humphreys – MYC) and Whistling Kite (Nicola Wakefield-Evans RSYS).  In Division 2, It Happens (Bridget Canham – CYCA) took the win from Accru (Alex Murray – RANSA) and Okavango Delta (Janette Syme – MYC).

To view the results – click here

Marg Fraser-Martin was back on the water today to get some great photos of the racing....

Read more: Sydney Harbour Women’s Keelboat Series

Extreme weekend for SSORC tests crews

Middle Harbour Yacht Club’s Sydney Short Ocean Racing Championship (SSORC) coincided with Sydney’s record-breaking hot weather weekend, 28 crews enduring 40 knot gusts for race two and brutal temperatures in the low 40s both days of the longstanding annual series.

A gale warning moved racing inshore on the Sunday, Race Officer Denis Thompson designing special courses to suit a second day of fresh north-westerlies. Hot winds really kicked up in the closing stages of the Sydney Harbour passage race, testing reaction times and causing sail damage and a few knockdowns.

The icing on top of Keiran Mulcahy’s resounding IRC, ORCi and PHS division 1 victories with his King 40 called Soozal was beating nemesis and Royal Prince Alfred clubmate Bushranger, Gerry Hatton’s Mat 1245 also from Pittwater.

“We come to SSORC to beat Bushranger – this result has been two years in the making. I’m walking around at Middle Harbour Yacht Club now with a bucket for their tears and handing out tissues. I’ve been through three boxes already,” Mulcahy joked before heading to the podium to collect the team’s six trophy haul.

“Though we would have liked windward/leewards on the Sunday, Soozal is an all-rounder and a monster when it gets going so we were equally happy doing another passage race. We saw 41 knots coming up to Manly and tore one jib. We had a good time on the water,” the winning skipper added.

Pointscore results for 2020

Day One video by Tilly Lock Media

SSORC Gallery

IRC division 2 went to Jack Stening and Colin Gunn’s Stormaway, a Sydney 36 sailing for the host club. Tactician and trimmer Nicky Bethwaite said they were relieved to finish Sunday’s passage race with no damage or injury. “I don’t think I’ve raced on the harbour in 30-40 knots before, watching the spray lift off the white caps up the track knowing that was a 40 knot gust was pretty challenging.”

ORCi and PHS division 2 top honours went to another Pittwater boat, Mark Hellyer’s Italia 11.98 Cicero.

The winning Sydney 38 was David Hudson’s Conspiracy (RPAYC). The TP52s only managed one race on the Saturday, Andy Kearnan’s Koa from the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia the top-scoring boat on TPR. Gordon Ketelbey’s Zen (MHYC) claimed the Gunboat Trophy for the fastest elapsed time.

Saturday was equally challenging to Sunday with 41.9 degrees recorded at Sydney Airport. All SSORC divisions and the CYCA Ocean Pointscore fleet started together on a long line at Steele Point, the outgoing tide causing OCS headaches which prompted a general recall from Race Officer Steve Kidson. 

On the way to Lion Island, at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River, the boats that went offshore found lighter NE winds whereas those that stayed closer to the coastline enjoyed the fresher north-westerly. It was a long day in the heat with the last of the 37 finishers reaching the Watsons Bay finish line after 5pm. 

Inshore for Saturday’s 22 nautical mile Seven Islands pursuit race, a fleet of 37 boats had some great racing in the puffy north-westerly wind. It was an upwind work from Shark Island to Spectacle Island followed by a nice run under spinnaker or poled out headsail back from Cockatoo Island to Clarke Island. Teams finished the big day spent and very thirsty.

Thanks to Cruising Yacht Cluib of Australia for their race management support and SSORC sponsors Helly Hansen, Club Marine, Robert Oatley Wines and Short Marine. 

SSORC Website - click here 

By Lisa Ratcliff 

Read more: Extreme weekend for SSORC tests crews

Two races for Combined Clubs Inshore Series

MHYC crews performed strongly in both of the Combined Clubs Inshore Series races yesterday.

With race management by Middle Harbour and Manly Yacht Clubs in conjunction, two short passage races were scheduled.  The breeze direction presented some challenges for Race Officers Steve Tucker and Stephen Teudt, but both races were finally completed by 5pm.

In the first race of the day, Kukukerchu (David Ross) was first and Khaleesi (Rob Aldis) third in Division 1, Another Dilemma (Bridin Murnion) was first in Division 2 and Dania (Peter Charteris) was third in Division 3.  In the second race, the MC38 Infotrack (Christian Beck) was second and Khaleesi (Rob Aldis) was third in Division 1, Another Dilemma (Bridin Murnion) took another first and Wailea (Neil Padden) was second in Division 2, Innamincka (John Crawford) claimed the win and Dania was third in Division 3.

Congratulations to all the twenty three MHYC boats which competed amongst the eighty four boat combined fleet.

• For the Combined Clubs Inshore Series Results – click here 
• For the MHYC IRC Inshore Series Results – click here 
• For the MHYC PHS Inshore Series Results – click here
• For the MHYC Adams 10 Inshore Series Results – click here 

Marg Fraser-Martin was on the water to photograph the Combine Clubs Inshore Series…

Read more: Two races for Combined Clubs Inshore Series

Hot competition in the Seven Islands Race

The 2020 Seven Islands Race was sailed in forty degree heat and a fresh gusty north westerly on Saturday.  Thirty seven crews competed, including fourteen Division 3 boats contesting another race in the Jeanneau Cup Series.

Congratulations to division winners – Div 1 Foreign Affair (Matt Wilkinson), Div 2 Farr ‘n Away (Chris Lee), Div 3 Beyond Cool (Mark Clement)

For the full results – click here

Marg Fraser-Martin and Tilly Lock were on the water to capture the action…………….

Read more: Hot competition in the Seven Islands Race

Farr 40 One Design Trophy kicks off at CYCA

This weekend’s crew declarations resembled a Hollywood all-stars party including the best of the best in the business with Tom Slingsby calling the shots on Bluetack, Will Ryan on Newcastle entry Good Form, Nathan Wilmot on Nutcracker and Tom Burton on Double Black, proving the stature of the class by the talent it continually attracts.

The CYCA dock was buzzing with the most Farr 40’s we’ve seen assembled in Sydney in over a decade. Teams were excited to be back at the home of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race for the first time in many years and the Class would like to thank the CYCA for their great hospitality and race management.

Boat of the day went to Class newbies Brent Lawson and Patrick Delany on Bluetack with Tom Slingsby as Tactician scoring 3.3.1.1 giving them a five point lead over Nutcracker in second place.  Lawson and Delany reached the top of their game in the Adam’s Ten class before joining the Farr 40 fleet and both were pleased with today’s result in their maiden Farr 40 regatta.

“We had no expectations today. This was our first race in the fleet and clearly there is nothing wrong with the boat. It’s been a lot of work getting the boat ready and we are really pleased with the results.  The wind was kind to us today. Every time we’ve gone out it’s been 25 knots, so today was generous with the wind.  Tomorrow will be a bit stronger, which will be a test for us and we will need to be on our game.” Lawson said.

Delany was at the helm today and is excited to be sailing in the Class.  “We like the skill involved in one design racing and it seemed a logical leap up for us from the Adams Tens. We saw a lot of Farr 40’s at MHYC and thought it would be a good challenge for Brent and I.” Delany said.

PRO Denis Thompson ran four races offshore on the Macquarie Circle in 8-10 knots from ESE and all the boats were very evenly matched in these conditions.   

Tomorrow’s racing will commence at 10.55am on Sydney Harbour for the final four races of the regatta.

For the latest results - click here

By Jennie Hughes as amended by MHYC

Read more: Farr 40 One Design Trophy kicks off at CYCA

Pirates of the Middle Harbour

Pirates of the Middle Harbour gathered for their Twilight Race tonight, with almost fifty scurvy crews engaging in battle through the Grotto Shoals and the Balmoral Straits.

Winner of the Black Pearl Division 1 was Mark Spring and Highly Sprung  fighting off BlueTack (Grant Dawson) and Zen (Gordon Ketelbey). In the Skull and Crossbones Division 2, it was Peter Gibson’s Madge first home ahead of Moonshadow V (Lloyd Bennet) and Renaissance (Michael Lowry).   Claiming the spoils for the Dead Man’s Chest Division 3 was Stephen Smith and Freedom from St Elmo’s Flyer (Richard Royle & Gil Burton) and Azlan (Peter Butcher).  Plundering the Jolly Roger Division 4 was David Field’s Bluebottle, leading home Happy Hour (Harry Bridgen) and Thiseldo (Kevin Bloor).

Some special awards were presented following racing for the Best Dressed Boat Afloat - Zen and the Best Dressed Crews Ashore – Slac ‘N’ Off and Sanctum.

A fun evening at the club followed a great sail, with several wines and much pirate talk.

For the Twilight Pirate Results – click here

Read more: Pirates of the Middle Harbour

Inshore Sprints and Daydream Shield on Saturday

The Sydney Amateur Sailing Club Cruiser-Racers joined MHYC’s Inshore fleet on Saturday to contest the Daydream Shield Interclub Trophy over two sprint races.  Crews were met with fresh to strong breezes across The Sound and a lively seaway to make conditions challenging for all.

Brent Lawson and Patrick Delaney’s BlueTack had Division 1 to themselves on Saturday while a group of MHYC boats race in the Bird Island Race offshore. Mike Gallagher’s Galan took the Division 2 win in both races.  Innamincka (John Crawford) and Dania (Peter Charteris) shared the Division 3 honours.  Innamincka took out the J/24 One Design prize for both races.  In the Adams 10s, Mitch Miller and the crew of Rock Solid had a perfect day out claiming the One Design and PHS wins in each race.

To view the Divisional Results – click here

To view the Adams 10 Results – click here

In the Daydream Shield, MHYC claimed a narrow win in the Division 2 pointscore.  Unfortunately SASC were unable to get the two boats necessary to contest Division 3, so MHYC won the combined series by 16 points.

To view the Daydream Shield Series Scores – click here

Saturday was also the first day that the club was able to try out the newly arrived Arvor 28 (to be named the Jack Stening) in its course boat role.  The boat performed well in the boisterous seaway and provided a safe (and comparitively dry) platform for our race management volunteers.  Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to the fundraising drive.  There is still some work to be done to repaint and fit out the boat, so further donations would be appreciated.

Marg Fraser-Martin was on the water for Saturday's racing.......

Read more: Inshore Sprints and Daydream Shield on Saturday